The present invention relates generally to systems for the aseptic packaging of food products. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing container product filling in an aseptic processing apparatus.
Sterilized packaging systems in which a sterile food product is placed and sealed in a container to preserve the product for later use are well known in the art. Methods of sterilizing incoming containers, filling the containers with pasteurized product, and sealing the containers in an aseptic sterilization tunnel are also known.
Liquid product fillers are known in the art. Generally, a container is placed under a filler head. The filler head opens and dispenses the liquid product. When the container is filled to a desired level, the filler head closes and stops the flow of liquid product into the container. Commonly, in line aseptic fillers use completely mechanical devices for measuring and dosing product into containers. These devices include a first apparatus for measuring the amount of material to be dispensed, and a second apparatus which functions as a filling nozzle. Typically, the first apparatus includes a piston cylinder apparatus for measuring the amount of material. The amount of material measured by the piston cylinder apparatus is limited by the diameter and stroke of the piston. The first and second apparatus include complicated mechanical members which are difficult to sterilize, clean, and maintain.
Typically, rotary fillers include multiple filling stations and allow about 7 to 15 seconds for filling. Some of the rotary bottle filers use electronic measuring devices for dosing the desired amount of product into a bottle. In order to meet FDA (Food and Drug Administration) xe2x80x9casepticxe2x80x9d standards and 3A Sanitary Standards, all surfaces of the filler that come into contact with the liquid product must be sterilized. Before filling commences, a plurality of interior parts of the filler must be removed, sterilized, and replaced. This time consuming and expensive process is necessary in order to ensure the complete sterilization of all surfaces that come into contact with the liquid product.
Packaged food products can generally be categorized as high acid products (Ph below 4.5) or low acid products (Ph of 4.5 and above). The high acid content of a high acid product helps to reduce bacteria growth in the product, thereby increasing the shelf life of the product. The low acid content of a low acid product, however, necessitates the use of more stringent packaging techniques, and often requires refrigeration of the product at the point of sale.
Several packaging techniques, including extended shelf life (ESL) and aseptic packaging, have been developed to increase the shelf life of low acid products. During ESL packaging, for example, the packaging material is commonly sanitized and filled with a product in a presterilized tunnel under xe2x80x9cultra-cleanxe2x80x9d conditions. By using such ESL packaging techniques, the shelf life of an ESL packaged product is commonly extended from about 10 to 15 days to about 90 days. Aseptic packaging techniques, however, which require that the packaging take place in a sterile environment, using presterilized containers, etc., are capable of providing a packaged product having an even longer shelf life of 150 days or more. In fact, with aseptic packaging, the shelf life limitation is often determined by the quality of the taste of the packaged product, rather than by a limitation caused by bacterial growth.
For the aseptic packaging of food products, an aseptic filler must, for example, use an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved sterilant, meet FDA quality control standards, use a sterile tunnel or clean room, and must aseptically treat all packaging material. The food product must also be processed using an xe2x80x9cUltra High Temperaturexe2x80x9d (UHT) pasteurization process to meet FDA aseptic standards. The packaging material must remain in a sterile environment during filling, closure, and sealing operations.
Many attempts have been made, albeit unsuccessfully, to aseptically fill containers, such as bottles or jars having small openings, at a high output processing speed. In addition, previous attempts for aseptically packaging a low acid product in plastic bottles or jars (e.g., formed of polyethylene terepthalate (PET) or high density polyethylene (HDPE)), at a high output processing speed, have also failed. Furthermore, the prior art has not been successful in providing a high output aseptic filler that complies with the stringent United States FDA standards for labeling a packaged product as xe2x80x9caseptic.xe2x80x9d In the following description of the present invention, the term xe2x80x9casepticxe2x80x9d denotes the United States FDA level of aseptic.
In order to overcome the above deficiencies, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for providing container product filling in an aseptic processing apparatus. Additionally, the present invention provides both a xe2x80x9cClean In Placexe2x80x9d (CIP) process for cleaning, and a xe2x80x9cSterilizing in Placexe2x80x9d for sterilizing all of the interior surfaces of the filler without having to disassemble the filler. The filler apparatus includes a smooth filling tube which is easy to clean and sterilize. The filler apparatus is used in a system for providing aseptically processed low acid products in a container having a small opening, such as a glass or plastic bottle or jar, at a high output processing speed. Many features are incorporated into the filler apparatus in order to meet various FDA aseptic standards and 3A Sanitary Standards and Accepted Practices.
The present invention generally provides an apparatus comprising:
a sterile tunnel for surrounding a plurality of aseptically sterilized containers with pressurized sterile air;
a valve head for controlling the flow of an aseptically sterilized product by opening and closing an outlet port of a nozzle carrying the aseptically sterilized product;
a first end of a valve stem attached to the valve head;
a second end of the valve stem attached to a valve actuator system for displacing the valve stem;
an opening in a wall of the sterile tunnel through which the valve stem passes; and
a flexible diaphragm attached to the valve stem and to an outer peripheral portion of the opening in the wall of the sterile tunnel for preventing contaminants from passing into the sterile tunnel through the opening in the wall of the sterile tunnel.
The present invention provides another embodiment of the apparatus comprising:
a sterile tunnel for surrounding a plurality of aseptically sterilized containers with pressurized sterile air;
a nozzle for carrying an aseptically sterilized product into the sterile tunnel;
a valve head for controlling the flow of aseptically sterilized product by opening and closing an outlet port of the nozzle;
a first end of a valve stem attached to the valve head;
a second end of the valve stem attached to a sealed actuator system for displacing the valve stem, wherein the valve head, the valve stem and the sealed actuator system are surrounded by the sterile tunnel;
a control conduit connecting the sealed actuator system with a control system;
an opening in a wall of the sterile tunnel through which the control conduit passes; and
a sealing member for sealing the control conduit within the opening in the wall of the sterile tunnel.
The present invention provides another embodiment of the apparatus comprising:
a sterile tunnel for surrounding a plurality of aseptically sterilized containers with pressurized sterile air;
a valve for controlling the flow of an aseptically sterilized product through an outlet port of a nozzle;
a plurality of flow passages formed between an inner wall of the nozzle and a plurality of indentations on an outer surface of the valve, wherein the plurality of flow passages transport the aseptically sterilized product to the outlet port;
a valve seat in the nozzle for stopping the flow of aseptically sterilized product through the plurality of flow passages;
a sealed actuator system for displacing the valve into an open position; and
a control conduit connecting the sealed actuator system with a control system.
The present invention provides a method comprising:
controlling the flow of an aseptic product using a valve;
surrounding a region where the aseptic product exits the valve with a sterile region; and
controlling the opening or closing of the valve with a sealed actuator, wherein the sealed actuator is surrounded with the sterile region.
The present invention provides another method comprising:
controlling the flow of an aseptic product through a nozzle using a valve;
surrounding a region where the aseptic product exits the valve with a sterile region; and
displacing the valve with an electromagnetic actuator, wherein an electrical current applied to the electromagnetic actuator displaces the valve into an open position allowing the aseptic product to flow through an outlet port of the nozzle.